Final farewells offered for Bishop Mario Dorsonville

 

Late bishop remembered for serving God and those in need

by OSV News

 

February 7, 2024

 

BETHESDA, Md. (OSV News) — The recent passing of Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, a former Washington auxiliary who had headed the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, Louisiana, for just under a year, has filled many with great sadness but also with much gratitude for his life and ministry.

Washington Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar said these words in his homily at a Feb. 2 memorial Mass for the late bishop at a Washington suburban Catholic church where he once served.

“We are filled with a great sense of sadness, but at the same time, our hearts are filled with gratitude for the many ways God showed his love, mercy and closeness through the life and fruitful ministry of our beloved bishop and friend Mario Dorsonville,” he said.

Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory was the main celebrant at the Mass celebrated at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Bethesda, where then-Father Dorsonville served as a parochial vicar from 1997 to 2004 in his first assignment in the Archdiocese of Washington.

The concelebrants included Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, retired archbishop of Washington; Cardinal Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio; Washington Auxiliary Bishops Roy E. Campbell Jr., Juan R. Esposito and Menjivar; and many area priests.

Bishop was a good and faithful servant

Bishop Dorsonville died unexpectedly late Jan. 19 due to complications related to liver disease discovered late last year. He was 63.

He was installed as the fifth bishop of Houma-Thibodaux March 29, 2023. Prior to that, he was an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington for eight years.

Born and educated in his native Colombia and ordained to the priesthood there in 1985, he came to the United States to study at The Catholic University of America in Washington, where he earned a doctorate in ministry in 1996.

In the Washington area, he served Catholics in international organizations and was a parochial vicar at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Bethesda from 1997 to 2004 and then at St. Mark the Evangelist Parish in Hyattsville from 2004-05. Then-Father Dorsonville, who was incardinated as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington in 1999, served as director of the Spanish Catholic Center from 2005-13 and as Catholic Charities’ vice president for mission from 2013-15, when he was ordained as an auxiliary bishop of Washington.

A funeral Mass for Bishop Dorsonville was concelebrated by several archbishops and bishops from around the country Feb. 1 at St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral in Thibodaux, followed by burial on the grounds of the co-cathedral.

In his homily, Bishop Menjivar described the late bishop as a good and faithful servant, who felt very welcome in the United States and who put a lot of energy into the archdiocese’s Walk with Mary procession and Mass honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe as the patroness of America. Then-Bishop Dorsonville established the annual procession and chose its name. “For him it was a walk of solidarity with the immigrants and an opportunity to evangelize. He was contagious with his enthusiasm,” Bishop Menjivar said.

A light in the darkness

Bishop Menjivar recalled Bishop Dorsonville saying, “I was thirsty and I found someone who gave me to drink… I have seen so many thirsty faces that remind me of myself and in them I see Jesus,” and he believes that mindset probably shaped the late bishop’s concern and commitment to caring for those who have been forced to leave their homeland in search of a better and safer life.

He noted how the late bishop was a tireless advocate for Dreamers, immigrants who came to the United States with their families at a young age and who are seeking educational opportunities and a pathway to citizenship. Bishop Dorsonville, he said, saw those young people as the future of the Church and the nation. The late bishop, he added, said that a refugee is a child of God and of the Church and should be seen as God’s smile to the world.

“No wonder he was chosen by the nation’s bishops to be their leading voice on migration issues as chairman of the USCCB (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) Committee on Migration. And what a voice!” said Bishop Menjivar.

Bishop Dorsonville, he said, was not just a candle lit in the darkness but a torch that illuminated the way forward for people.

Bishop Menjivar explained that much of the late bishop’s ministry centered on community outreach, advocacy and pastoral care to the poor and newcomers, especially from 2005-13 in his leadership of the archdiocese’s Spanish Catholic Center.

“He struggled to keep these vital services active for the community. He loved the clients and most of all he loved the employees of Catholic Charities for whom he had tremendous respect, considered them his family and was always grateful,” he said of the man who became that organization’s vice president for mission.

Bishop Dorsonville built a strong network of donors and volunteers to support the Spanish Catholic Center, raising more than one-half million dollars a year for its outreach, and Bishop Menjivar joked that he was like Robin Hood in his fundraising. “He took from the rich to give to the poor.”

Mass for Bishop Dorsonville

As an auxiliary bishop of Washington, Bishop Dorsonville directed the archdiocese’s Office of Cultural Diversity and Outreach, leading efforts to recognize and celebrate the gifts, richness and importance of the diversity of the family of faith in the Archdiocese of Washington. He also enthusiastically promoted an initiative that provides financial support to Hispanic families for the education of their children in Catholic schools, said Bishop Menjivar, who has inherited these initiatives and asked people for their support in tribute to the late bishop.

He remembered his friend, the late bishop, for his warm and radiant face, smiling with the love of Jesus, and as a compassionate and kind listener who made a difference in people’s lives for the better, giving people the experience of being recognized and feeling loved.

“We now have in heaven a great friend who will continue to enrich our lives with his prayers before God and by seeking Mary’s intercession,” Bishop Menjivar said.

After the Mass, Celia Rivas, coordinator of immigration services at the Hispanic Catholic Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland, who worked closely with Bishop Dorsonville for two decades, recalled him as “a man of deep prayer and faith.”

“Now it is our turn to pray for him to enjoy the gift of eternal life. Mission accomplished Monsignor! Thank you for bringing Christ to our needy,” Rivas told El Pregonero, Washington’s archdiocesan Spanish-language newspaper and website.

At Bishop Dorsonville’s Feb. 1 funeral Mass in Louisiana, Cardinal Wuerl was the homilist and remembered the late prelate as “an energetic, witty and loving pastor, with a spontaneous laugh, a gentle disposition, attentive to the needs of others and a love for his vocation.”

As Washington’s archbishop he had ordained then-Father Dorsonville as an auxiliary bishop in the nation’s capital in 2015.

Cardinal Gregory presided at the final commendation at the funeral Mass. He prayed, “Let us say goodbye to our brother and may our farewell express our affection for him, may it ease our sadness and strengthen our hope. … Hear our prayers and open the gates of paradise to your servant, Bishop Mario, and help those of us who remain to comfort one another with the assurance of faith until we are all reunited in Christ and are with you and our brother forever.”

The sad and shocking news from Houma -Thibodaux; rest in peace Bishop Dorsonville

 

Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux in Louisiana Dies Unexpectedly at 63

Bishop Dorsonville was a tireless advocate for migrants and immigration reform.

Matthew Santucci/CNANationJanuary 20, 2024

Bishop Mario Dorsonville of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in southeastern Louisiana, whose ecclesial career spanned nearly four decades, died unexpectedly on Friday evening after serving as bishop of the diocese for less than a year. He was 63.

In a statement on Facebook, the vicar general of the diocese, Father Simon Peter Engurait, wrote that the bishop died on Friday evening at 6:50 p.m. CST “after he gave in to complications arising from recent health problems.” 

Bishop Dorsonville was appointed as bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux on Feb. 1, 2023, and was installed on March 29, succeeding Bishop Shelton J. Fabre.

Father Engurait said it was “with great sadness and deep shock” that he made the announcement of Dorsonville’s passing. “My heart is broken as I make this news to you as this is not the kind of message any one of us would expect to receive.” Engurait asked for patience from the flock “as we begin to navigate through these uncertain moments” and called for prayers for the bishop.

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, It is with great sadness and deep shock that I announce to you that our...

Posted by Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux on Friday, January 19, 2024

Mario Eduardo Dorsonville was born on Oct. 30, 1960, in Bogotá, Colombia, and was the only child of Leonor M. Rodríguez and Carlos J. Dorsonville.

Bishop Dorsonville undertook his studies for the priesthood at the Theological Seminary of Bogotá, where he received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a second bachelor’s degree in sacred theology. He was ordained to the priesthood on Nov. 23, 1985, in Bogotá.

During his early ministry he served in a variety of roles, including as parochial vicar of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Bogotá, chaplain of the National University of Colombia, pastor of San Jose de Calasanz Parish in Bogotá, and professor of ethics at the National University of Colombia.

He continued his theological studies at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, earning a licentiate in sacred theology in 1991.

Following the completion of his doctorate in ministry at the The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., in 1995, he served in various roles in Arlington, Virginia, including as parochial vicar of Good Shepherd and Christ the Redeemer parishes and as a professor at the Hispanic Apostolate of Arlington from 1993–1994. He was also a lecturer at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C.

Father Dorsonville decided to permanently reside in the United States and was incardinated into the Archdiocese of Washington in 1999.

He held other positions including as vice president for mission of Catholic Charities of Washington and director of the Spanish Catholic Center, and he was adjunct spiritual director for St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington, D.C.

He was also a member of the priest council of the Archdiocese of Washington and a member of the College of Consultors of the archdiocese. From 2010–2011, he was a mentor for newly ordained priests for the archdiocese.

Pope Francis named Father Dorsonville as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington on March 20, 2015. He was ordained to the episcopate a month later at the Cathedral of St. Matthew by the former archbishop of the diocese, Cardinal Donald Wuerl.

Bishop Dorsonville was a tireless advocate for migrants and immigration reform. In 2020, the Colombian-American prelate, who previously served as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration along with Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, former president of the USCCB, urged the Trump administration to reinstate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

The program, which started in 2012 during the Obama administration, allowed for certain immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children to apply for a delay of deportation, where they could also receive a work authorization, despite a recent decision by the Supreme Court.

“Many [dreamers] were brought to this country as infants and young children, and they have grown up in our schools and parishes and now are making important contributions in the Church and in almost every area of American life,” the bishops said in a joint statement.

Bishop Dorsonville was active in calling on the Biden administration to continue prioritizing immigration reform, both on the executive level and through bipartisan congressional legislation.

On Oct. 8, 2021, the Biden administration increased the refugee cap for fiscal year 2022 to 125,000, the highest the figure has been since 1993.

“Whether fleeing war, natural disaster, or persecution, the positive contributions of refugees to our society have been well documented,” Bishop Dorsonville said at the time. “First and foremost, however, we recognize them as vulnerable members of the same human family to which we ourselves belong.”

Let's meet the new Bishop for Houma-Thibodaux

 

Auxiliary Bishops

Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville

Mario E. Dorsonville was born October 31, 1960 in Bogotá, Colombia, the only child of Leonor M. Rodríguez and Carlos J. Dorsonville. He attended the Major Seminary of the Archdiocese of Bogotá, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy in 1981 and a Bachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology in 1985. He was ordained to the priesthood on November 23, 1985 in Bogotá. Following ordination, he served as Parochial Vicar of Immaculate Heart of Mary parish, Bogotá (1986), Pastor of San Jose de Calasanz parish, Bogotá (1987-1991), Associate Chaplain (1988-1991) and Professor of Business Ethics (1990-1991) at the National University of Colombia, Bogotá.

Bishop Dorsonville received a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá in 1991 and a Doctorate in Ministry from The Catholic University of America in 1996. From 1992-1994, while studying at Catholic University, he assisted the Hispanic community on weekends at Good Shepherd and Christ the Redeemer parishes in Arlington, Virginia, and served as a lecturer at the Inter-American Development Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He served as Professor of Theology and Catechesis at the Institute for Hispanic Pastoral Studies of Arlington from 1993-1994. He returned briefly to Colombia to serve as Chaplain and Professor of Business Ethics to the National University of Colombia and Professor of Pastoral Counseling and Catechesis at the Major Seminary of the Archdiocese of Bogotá from 1995-1996.

His first appointment within the Archdiocese of Washington was as Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Bethesda, Maryland (1997-2004). He also served as Parochial Vicar of St. Mark the Evangelist parish in Hyattsville, Maryland (2004-2005) and he was a member of the Board of Directors for Carroll Publishing Company from 2001-2004.

Bishop Dorsonville served as Vice President of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington and Director of The Spanish Catholic Center from 2005 to 2015. He completed an Executive Certificate in Non-Profit Management at Georgetown University in 2009. He was also an Adjunct Spiritual Director of St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington, D.C., as well as a mentor for newly ordained priests (2011-2015).

He was named an Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington by Pope Francis on March 20, 2015 and ordained to the episcopate on April 20, 2015. He has served as Vicar General for the Archdiocese of Washington since 2015. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Maryland Catholic Conference and was a member of the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities (2015 to 2021). He has been a member of the Council of Priests for the Archdiocese of Washington since 2006, and a member of its College of Consultors since 2011. Bishop Dorsonville was the chairman for the Migration and Refugee Services Committee for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (2019-2022). Currently, he serves as a member of their Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Committee on Migration, Committee for Religious Liberty, and the Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism.

A new Bishop for Houma-Thibodaux Diocese in south Louisiana

 

Pope Francis Appoints Bishop Mario Dorsonville as Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux

Pope Francis has appointed Most Reverend Mario E. Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, as Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux.

February 1, 2023

WASHINGTON - Pope Francis has appointed Most Reverend Mario E. Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, as Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux. The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on February 1, 2023, by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

The biography for Bishop Dorsonville may be found here.

The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux is comprised of 3,500 square miles in the State of Louisiana and has a total population of 257,423 of which 81,512 are Catholic.

Bishops call for increased immigration efforts and the preservation of life for Afghan refugees

 

Spaniards and Afghanis board a Spanish Air Force flight out of Afghanistan 

CHURCH

• AFGHANISTAN
• WAR
• HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY
• BISHOPS' CONFERENCE

Bishops’ Conferences speak out on Afghanistan

Western Bishops’ Conferences are speaking out on the situation in Afghanistan, urging their governments to welcome those fleeing the country, and praying for peace through dialogue.

By Vatican News staff reporter

In view of the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as the country falls to the Taliban, Bishops in western nations are calling on their governments to help the thousands of people fleeing the country – especially those who risked their lives to assist the military mission that began 20 years ago.

Act with utmost urgency

From the United States, Bishop Mario Dorsonville and Bishop David Malloy, chairs respectively of the USCCB’s Committees on Migration and on International Justice and Peace, issued a statement calling on the US government “to act with the utmost urgency, considering all avenues to preserve life.” They note that Catholic organizations and partners have been assisting the government in welcoming Afghan refugees and their families, and add that they “will continue to work as long as necessary until those who are in harm’s way are brought to safety.”

With Pope Francis, the statement says, the US Bishops are “praying for peace in Afghanistan – ‘that the clamor of weapons might cease and solutions can be found at the table of dialogue.’”

A disastrous defeat

In Europe, the chairman of the German Bishops Conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing said he was “outraged by the widespread suffering and helplessness of those whose future is being stolen from them.”

He said, “The takeover by the Taliban in Afghanistan represents a disastrous defeat for the United States and the countries that until recently were committed to its side,” including Germany. He warned that the “life and limb of thousands and thousands of people are endangered and the flame of hope that has nourished them is extinguished” by the surrender of the country to the Taliban.

Bishop Bätzing insisted that western countries must evacuate Afghans who assisted their military forces and international aid organizations, saying “generous admission offers” should be granted, especially to those most at risk. He urged them to help countries in the region accept and care for refugees from Afghanistan, and said the European Union must be prepared to welcome refugees who arrive in Europe.

He, too, insisted on the power of prayer, and invited “everyone to join in prayer with the sufferings of the people of Afghanistan, and to call on God for His gracious help.”

US Bishops back Joe Biden on new refugee admissions cap

Catholic leaders praise Biden’s decision to raise refugee cap

• John Lavenburg
  May 5, 2021

NEW YORK – After President Joe Biden raised the refugee admissions cap to 62,500 Monday, Catholics leaders and immigration advocates applauded the move, but still wish that it happened sooner.

“This increase was a crucial step toward rebuilding the crippled Refugee Admissions Program,” said Auxiliary Bishop Mario Dorsonville of Washington, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration in a statement Tuesday. “We view this as a stepping stone toward the Administration’s stated goal of 125,000 admissions, a figure more consistent with our values and capabilities as a nation.”

62,500 will be the refugee admissions cap number for the remainder of the fiscal year that ends September 30. When Biden announced the move Monday, he touted it as an essential but unachievable step for his administration to take.

“It is important to take this action today to remove any lingering doubt in the mind of refugees around the world who have suffered so much and who are anxiously waiting for their new lives to begin,” Biden said in a statement Monday.

“We are going to rebuild what has been broken and push hard to complete the rigorous screening process for those refugees already in the pipeline for admission,” the president continued. “The sad truth is that we will not achieve 62,500 admissions this year.”

Biden also noted that the new 62,5000 number reinforces the administration’s efforts to reach 125,000 admissions in Fiscal Year 2022. However, the president admitted that, that goal also might not be met.

“That goal will be hard to hit. We might not make it the first [full fiscal] year,” Biden said. “But we are going to use every tool available to help these fully-vetted refugees fleeing horrific conditions in their home countries.”

When Dylan Corbett, executive director of Hope Border Institute considers the fact that it’s possible that neither goal will be met, he said part of it might be moderating expectations, but it’s “also a reflection of the fact that we waited so long to begin rebuilding the system.”

“We have waited so long our hopes have to be tempered with the realism that we really are rebuilding a system that was atrophied,” Corbett told Crux. “The president should’ve taken earlier action on this.”

That said, Corbett is still pleased that the decision was made. He called it an important step “towards rebuilding the system of refugee resettlement” in the U.S., and “towards rebuilding American leadership in refugee resettlement around the world.”

Father Pat Murphy, director of Casa del Migrante in Tijuana, Mexico, also wished the decision had come sooner.

“It gives a lot more people hope but he’s too late in the game because once you start cutting off the numbers all the resources start to die off,” Murphy told Crux. “It’ll take a while to be able to change and meet the need, to be able to take care of people.”

Rachel Pollock, the USCCB director of resettlement services, said Catholics nationwide are ready to help.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done to rebuild the resettlement program,” Pollock told Crux. “It’s going to take some time to put all of that information into place and get things moving again and I would say the Catholic network around the U.S., we’re really eager and ready to engage in this work of welcoming our brothers and sisters in need.”

In April, Biden drew criticism from refugee advocates when he announced that the historically low refugee admissions cap of 15,000 set by the Trump administration would not be increased because of the present situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. However, the president backtracked a day later.

Corbett said the situation at the border shouldn’t affect refugee admissions.

“I think that’s not true and I think there’s broad recognition that we can walk and chew gum. We can receive unaccompanied minors at the border at the same time we’re professing refugees fleeing violence around the world,” he said. “They’re distinct efforts.”

He added “there were political considerations that weighed on his judgement in making the decision with respect to the numbers, but that shouldn’t be the case.”

Corbett credits the faith community for Monday’s decision.

“It’s a reflection that the president heard the pushback of people who are directly involved in working with refugees around the world, including the faith community and including the Catholic community,” he said.